Playing under the effects of a virus he picked up while on international duty with Iceland recently, the 28-year-old nonetheless sent temperatures soaring at the WWK Arena, where Manuel Baum’s side eased past the visiting Billy Goats 3-0. “When a striker scores, of course he’s happy [and] I think the better team won today,” the Augsburg No27 said after netting his first career treble for the Bavarian side.

Watch: Augsburg's hat-trick hero Alfred Finnbogason speaks!

“The virus looks like it was beneficial to him, so he should probably try to keep it,” coach Baum joked after leading his charges to their first win of 2017/18. “[Alfred’s] performance today was great,” the tactician added of his striker, who netted twice either side of a 32nd-minute penalty.

Finnbogason has now scored four of Augbsurg’s five goals this season, following his Matchday 2 opener in the 2-2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Iceland frontman has put the Bavarian’s 1-0 up eight times with the 14 goals he has netted for the club, for whom he initially signed on loan in 2016.

Sidelined between October and April with a pelvic injury last term, Finnbogason put his time out of the game to good use by studying for a Masters Degree in Sports Management, which he went on to receive from the Johan Cruyff Institute. He returned to score two crucial goals as Augsburg maintained their top-flight status, just as they did with the help of the forward’s seven goals in 14 Rückrunde appearances in 2015/16.

With previously ill-fated spells at Real Sociedad and Olympiacos now firmly behind him, the in-form striker – a member of Iceland’s UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finalists – is now looking to regain the form that once saw him score 53 goals in 62 Eredivisie matches for Heerenveen between 2012 and 2014. It seems neither injury nor illness can hold back Augsburg’s marksman, who currently sits proudly atop the Bundesliga goalscoring charts.